BioShock: Revival
by watchmexplode33
Summary: It's been 4 years since the events of BioShock 2, and the city long thought left behind is now being revived. A boy who's been kidnapped is now forced into the suit of a Big Brother, and he must fight to escape. T for violence/cursing. OC's
1. Kidnappers

**Hello there readers. First and foremost, I do not own anything within the BioShock storyline other than the original characters and ideas within this story. Now, with that bit of business taken care of, I should point out that this story takes place post both good endings. With that being said enjoy and please review with your thoughts.**

_Prologue_

_Maxwell Grey_

_Rapture. A city built on the idea of a man working only for himself. After the fall of Andrew Ryan and his objectivist point of view, Sofia Lamb came to power, bringing her collectivist ideology with her. After her reign ended at the hands of Subject Delta and her own daughter, Eleanor, four years ago, the city was left without ruler. A crumbling marvel hidden at the bottom of the sea._

_Until Maxwell Grey appeared._

_One of the many unaccounted for survivors of the Rapture Civil War, Grey opted sit in quite silence and wait for the rulers of Rapture to be killed off rather than go after them himself. If there was one thing living through a war and a city driven to hell had taught the Australian, it was patience._

_So he waited, and sure enough, a hero always rose and brought Rapture's ruler down. But rather than take the city for themselves, the hero always fled for the surface. It didn't matter why they did so to Grey, because now, with his followers supporting him, _he _was the ruler of Rapture, and he didn't see any white horse riding over the horizon to knock him off his thrown. It had been a long few years, but now, in 1972, he finally had hold over his prize. He even had his most trusted follower, a Russian scientist by the name of Andrei Petrov; rewire both the Big Daddies and remaining Big Sisters, which meant he also controlled the ADAM. He also had Petrov improve the Big Sister suits, as well as giving them an expanded arsenal of Plasmids._

_Still, the number of Big Sisters had been considerably cut down, and there weren't any little ones left at all, thanks to Subject Delta. After reviewing personal files from both Ryan and Lamb, the latter which had been recovered from the sunken ruins of Persephone, he found the solution he had been looking for, along with an idea to further expand their numbers._

_He pressed a button that linked his voice to every Big Sister's helmet. "I have a job for you, Sheila's. Pack your bags, you're taking a little vacation to the surface."_

Chapter one

Kidnappers

17 year old Alex Lynch moved down the sidewalk at a slight jog. He was a little bit tall for his age, but had what could be described as an average body build. He was wearing a white tee-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. His hair was a long and unruly mess of dirt blond atop his head. He also wore a denim jacket that matched the color of his jeans.

The streetlights were the only source of illumination as he jogged towards the direction of his house in the dark night. He didn't know the exact time, but he knew he was well past his curfew. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his clouded mind. He had been hanging out with a few friends at his buddy Eric's house, when one of them had the bright idea to try smoking pot. Needless to say, Alex wound up with a terrible headache and an insatiable sense of hunger.

He finally turned a corner into the cul-de-sac he lived on. As he started walking towards his house he felt the odd presence of someone watching him. He turned around and surveyed the street behind him. Nothing but the cold dark night and the ever present tinge of salt in the air, sometimes living right by the ocean could be annoying.

"Never again." Alex muttered to himself, passing the feeling off as a side effect of trying drugs, and making a mental note to kick his friend's ass tomorrow.

He absentmindedly adjusted the brim of his glasses in his nose, then continued walking towards his house. When he finally walked onto the front lawn, the feeling of being watched returned, this time more intensely. Alex turned around once more, but was still greeted by an empty street. He shrugged his shoulders and was about to take another step towards his house when he heard a soft _puff _sound.

His mind hadn't fully registered what was happening until he was lifted high into the air by some strange being. In the darkness he couldn't make out any defining features on his assailant aside from an obvious piercing yellow glow on its face, which looked similar to a porthole, and a thin build. The palm of the person's hand felt like leather, but he felt a metal covering over the top of the hand. If this was indeed a human, they were wearing some sort of strange suit.

Alex finally regained his senses and lashed out with his foot at the figure, only to be met with a dull thud as his boot met the metal suit. The figure looked down at Alex's foot, then back up to his face. Suddenly, Alex felt his air flow being restricted. He realized that this mysterious figure was suffocating him, but why? He didn't recall offending any scary people with odd suits. He desperately continued to kick his attacker, but darkness was starting to fill the edges of his vision. One of his kicks went higher than the rest and hit his assailant square in the chest. The light on the figure's porthole changed from yellow to a blood red, and the figure gave Alex a powerful kick, knocking him a few feet backwards.

Alex struggled to get up and run, but was stopped when he heard what sounded like metal sliding against metal. It sounded like a sword being drawn out of a sheath. He looked at his assailant and noticed that the left hand of the silhouette now had what looked to be a very large needle extending from just above it.

"_Oh shit." _Was the only thought running through Alex's mind as he struggled to get on his feet. The figure was much quicker than him, though, and used its needle to pin him to the ground by one of his sleeves. Alex was still on his back, and attempted a few feeble punches. His assailant wasted no time in delivering a powerful blow to the side of his face, then clamping their hand firmly onto his neck again, constricting his air flow once more.

The blackness consumed his vision completely, and Alex had no choice but to submit to unconsciousness.

…

When Alex finally started to come to, he first heard the sound of the ocean. Willing his eyes to open, Alex found that he was lying on a cold metal floor staring up at a lighthouse that stretched far into the sky. Ignoring his headache, Alex leapt to his feet and found himself on a lighthouse platform in the middle of the ocean. Alex was so caught up in frantically observing his surroundings that he didn't notice the group of being in diving suits watching him not far away.

Finally, he saw the six glowing yellow portholes watching him. Nervously, Alex started to back away, only to find himself at the top of a staircase leading down into the ocean. The only he coherent thoughts he could form were 'I am _so _about to die' and 'where the FUCK am I?' One of the figures stepped forward and pushed Alex in the direction of the lighthouse. Alex didn't know whether this was the same figure that had kidnapped him, but he assumed so. As he was walking dejectedly towards the lighthouse he noticed the other figures waking and shoving other teenagers he failed to notice in the same direction as him. Some of the figures also had little boys and girls locked in cages on their backs.

Alex was pushed up another short staircase and into the pitch black interior of the lighthouse. Uneasiness filled the pit of his stomach until lights overhead flickered to life. Mounted on the wall was a banner reading _No Gods or Kings, only Man_, with a large bust of a man's face glaring down at him above it. His captor pushed him down another dark stairway, with the lights coming on the same way as before.

Alex risked a glance back at the group of kidnappers and finally got a clear look at their suits. In addition, each one's armor had an individual color detail to it. The armor of the figure pushing him had blue detail on the shoulders and knees, while another figure had green detail, another a pale white, and another grey. The other figure's armor didn't have any specific detail to them, and Alex noticed that they also weren't ones holding a teenager captive. So what was the connection between the figures with armor detail and the teenagers? He didn't have time to give it to much thought though, as his captor gave him an extra hard shove, an indication to keep looking ahead.

After they descended another flight of stairs Alex was led around a third circular staircase until he saw a bathysphere up ahead. If this was a lighthouse, why did it have a bathysphere? And where exactly did it go? Alex didn't have time to give these questions thought either as he was pushed into the bathysphere.

After all the kidnappers and their captives had entered the bathysphere, one of them, the one with grey armor detail, walked up to the front where a lever and some sort of console were. They slid their needle from its sheath and stabbed it into an opening on the console. The console flashed green and the door to the bathysphere slid closed. The bathysphere lurched and started to descend down into the sea. Alex's captor placed a hand on his shoulder, their grip firm, as he saw a sign that indicated how many fathoms they had traveled.

10 fathoms so far, now 18, how deep were they going? And why the hell were they kidnapping teenagers and toddlers and putting them in a bathysphere?

One of the toddlers in a cage started to cry, which encouraged the rest of the toddlers in that cage to follow suit. Alex shut his eyes, expecting the kidnapper holding that cage to yell at the toddlers. But instead, the kidnapper calmly unhooked the cage from their back and stuck one of their hands into it, wiggling their fingers at the toddlers. The simple distraction must have calmed the toddlers because the crying stopped as soon as it started. Alex wished it would be that simple for him, but the magnitude of the situation was starting to both scare and depress him. Then, as if summoned to counteract his depression, a screen lit up at the front of the sphere and cheery music began to play.

The screen showed a black and white photo of a man in his late 40's sitting at a desk, his hair was a dark color and his face had a cocky, yet determined, grin etched onto it. He was wearing a dress suit minus the jacket, and he had his feet up on his desk and his hands behind his head. Below the photo were the words: _Greetings, from Maxwell Grey._

"_G'day, mates"_, an Australian voice echoed throughout the bathysphere, _"Name's Max Grey, and I want to tell you a story. There once was a man named Andrew Ryan." _The image of Grey switched to another man sitting at a desk, only he had shorter hair, was wearing a complete suit, and was sitting at his desk normally. _"Old Andrew Ryan had a dream. A place, a city, where government and religion would not hinder progress and mankind could shine for all it was. He realized this dream, but others thought they could take it from him." _The photo changed to a headshot of a bald man, and then a blonde woman. _"These misguided folks took advantage of Mr. Ryan's dream, but they're gone now, and I'm here to restore his dream to what it was."_

'What the hell is this guy talking about?' Alex asked himself. 'And what does all this have to do with putting a bunch of kidnapped kids in a bathysphere and sending'em under the ocean?'

"_Now, you're all here because you have been chosen to share in that dream. And it is with great joy that I present to you the dream, the city. I present to you"_, the screen slid open. _"Rapture."_

The bathysphere's external lights temporarily blinded the kidnapped children, but when their vision returned they all stared in awe. Alex's fear was overpowered by his wonder as the sight of an underwater city met his eyes. Despite the fact that half the city was dark, the lit areas of the city shone with a futuristic glow.

"_However"_, Grey's voice rang through the sphere again, _"Rapture is no city for the weak. If you're going to make it here, you've gotta prove yourselves."_

As if signaled by the words, Alex's captor tightened their grip on his neck. Alex didn't have time to react as he once again dropped into unconsciousness.

***Cue dramatic music***

**Well, I feel like I got a good start. This chapter is intended to be thought of as more of an introduction, mirroring the beginning of the first game. **

**Also, there hasn't been much character development for Alex because he's half conscious during most of the chapter and, as such, isn't in a place to really form coherent thoughts. Rest assured that by next chapter lots more character development, as well as introducing more characters, will take place.**


	2. Rude Awakening

_Drip...drip…drip…drip_

The repetitive sound of water slowly started to wake Alex up. With a groan he opened his eyes and found himself lying on his back, staring up at a glass ceiling. A small crack in the glass let water drip through in slow intervals. He stared through the glass, a lump forming in his stomach when he realized he was staring out at the ocean, and then he recalled the events before his blackout.

Suddenly feeling very awake, Alex sprang to his feet and looked around the room he'd woken up in. it was some sort of large dining hall, but while it might have looked fancy once, now it just looked completely worn down. Tables were knocked over and rusted, and the carpet in the center of the room looked soaked beyond hope of repair. Alex also noticed someone lying a few feet away, their upper body hidden by an overturned table.

Alex took a deep breath. 'They're just asleep or unconscious', he told himself as he started to take a few steps forward. 'Besides, a person is a good sign. I have a few questions that desperately need answers.'

The lump in his stomach got bigger when he saw the pool of blood around the body. Worse than that was the sight of the body itself. The man was covered in infected welts and cuts, and his face-if it could even still be called a face- was twisted into a demented grin. Clutched in the man's right hand was a crowbar, bent slightly and stained a bloody red. Alex fought to keep himself from vomiting, and settled for staring at the mangled corpse in horror.

Of course the terror rose to new heights when the body started to rise to its feet.

With a yelp, Alex jumped a few feet backwards. This earned a deep, throaty chuckle from the man, and every muscle in Alex's body yelled at him to run, but his brain seemed to fail to get the message. The man took a step forward and waved Alex towards him with his left hand.

"Hey, kiddo." The voice sounded overused, and struck fear in Alex, "Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya. Just come here and let's…chat."

Alex felt what color was left in his face leave at the thought of what a 'chat' with this freak would entail. He took another step backwards before an earsplitting shriek caught the both his and the man's attention. There, clinging to the wall was one of those figures in diving suits that had kidnapped Alex. The man whimpered quietly and turned to run in the opposite direction, but he was to slow. In a flash the figure had jumped in front of the man, and had kicked him into the wall.

The crowbar flew from the man's hand and landed at Alex's feet. The figure, which Alex guessed was the same one that had kidnapped him the by the blue detailing on its armor, looked towards Alex, screeched again, then ran off. Alex watched the figure rush out a door at the opposite end of the room, but the man's groans as he got back on his feet quickly commanded Alex's attention. Alex hadn't noticed that he picked up the crowbar until he was holding in front of himself

"Ugh, damn Tin Sister", the man cursed while dusting him off, "now where'd that crowbar go?" It was then that the man saw Alex with the crowbar. The twisted grin he had earlier came back as he started to take steps towards Alex again.

"Come on kid, gimme the crowbar." He said, holding his hands out and gesturing for Alex to hand him the tool.

"N-no way", Alex responded quickly. He tried his best to ignore the fact that the crowbar was slick with blood.

"Kid, don't make me take it from ya."

"Go on and try." Holding the crowbar gave Alex some weird sense of confidence, and despite the fact that part of his mind was yelling at him to just drop the crowbar and run, the other part commanded him to stay. "I'm the one with the weapon here, so just back off. Way off!"

The man's grin faltered, but he also stood his ground. "You asked for this kid, don't blame me." And with that, he lunged.

Alex gritted his teeth when the man jumped at him and swung out with the crowbar. The metal connected with the man's skull, a dull _thud_ echoing through the room. The man flew backwards and collapsed unceremoniously on the floor. Alex stared down at the man, trying to convince himself that he hadn't just killed someone. But when he saw the red start to flow from the blow on the side of the man's already deformed face, Alex lost all control and vomited on the ground.

After managing to collect himself a bit, Alex rubbed his forehead with one hand and tried to figure out what to do next. He remembered the figure that had kidnapped him, and thought maybe that'd be a good place to start. Holding the crowbar tightly in his hands, Alex made his way to the door that the figure had run out of. The doors opened to a dome-like hallway with more glass ceiling. Alex quickly made his way through the hallway to the next door. This time he found himself looking at what seemed to be a high class town.

There were restaurants and shops lining the streets, though most of their lights were out. Alex observed the area before stepping forward; looking out for anyone else he might see. The streets were empty, giving no clue as to where his kidnapper had gone. Alex briefly wondered why it was that he was chasing his kidnapper. After all, it wasn't like they would likely give him any answers or help him get home.

"_WELCOME, to the Circus of Values!"_

The voice shattered Alex's thoughts, and earned a small yelp from the boy. When he looked for the voice's source, Alex found a neon clown vending machine staring back at him, the words _Circus of Values _written across the front. _"Fill your cravings at the Circus of Values!"_ The machine yelled out in and overly joyous tone. Ignoring the machine, Alex continued to walk the streets, gripping his crowbar tightly whenever he passed a body.

He passed another vending machine, which was pink and had two statues of what looked like little girls on either side. The neon sign read _Gatherer's Garden_ and before he had a chance to examine the machine further there was a _clunk_ sound as the machine dropped a glass bottle into its compartment. Cautiously, Alex reached down and grabbed the bottle, examining the odd red liquid inside. A syringe was taped to the side of the bottle, and a label on the front read _Electro Bolt_. Alex looked from the syringe to the liquid suspiciously; the thought of injecting himself with some weird stuff in a bottle didn't set well in his head.

"_My daddy's smarter than Einstein! Stronger than Hercules! And can light a fire, with a snap of his fingers!"_ the shrill voice from the machine seemed to urge Alex towards injecting himself.

'Stronger than Hercules, huh?' Alex thought, staring down at the bottle. Finally deciding, Alex filled the syringe and gently positioned it above his wrist. With a push, he injected the liquid into his vein, biting his lip as the needle pushed further and further into his skin. At last the needle was empty, and the small pain that it brought was replaced by a fiery pain erupting throughout Alex's body.

A scream was ripped from the boy's mouth as he dropped the bottle and needle on the ground and fell to his knees. The fire intensified and Alex saw that his hands were emitting a bright blue glow, accompanied by sparks flying from both hands. Screaming again, Alex felt the fire gradually transform into the feeling of a hundred thousand volts coursing through his veins. Then, as soon as the pain had come, it left, and Alex collapsed onto the floor as the dark once again consumed him.

…

"C'mon twerp, wake up!"

Alex groaned and opened his, only to find another pair, an angry pair, staring back at him. Alex bit back his horror when he saw the shotgun that the woman held in her grip. His right hand groped about the ground, looking for his crowbar, but to no avail. The woman laughed and held up the crowbar in her free hand triumphantly.

"Too bad for you, kid." She said, raising the crowbar high into the air, "Today ain't your lucky day. I'll make this quick."

"Hold up!" A man that Alex hadn't noticed earlier shouted. "Why d'you get the crowbar? I'm the one here without a weapon!"

"Well that's your fault, you imbecile."

"Why I outta- just give me the fucking crowbar and I'll finish the brat right and quick."

"Oh fine, you big baby." The woman handed the man the crowbar, and he grinned menacingly as he raised it with both hands. By now Alex had moved into a sitting position, and he attempted to shield himself with his hands as he saw the crowbar heading his way.

_ZZZAP_

Alex opened his eyes and saw the man jittering in place, electricity coursing through his body. Then Alex noticed his left hand coursing with the same electricity. The crowbar slipped from the man's grasp, and Alex quickly reached for it and swung out. Metal met flesh as the crowbar struck the man in the gut, making him gasp before flopping onto his back.

"You little bastard!" The woman roared, cocking her shotgun.

Alex took a step back, finding no way out of a point blank shotgun blast, when a bullet whizzed through the air and connected with the woman's head. A small gurgle escaped her mouth before she fell forwards.

"Take that, ya bitch!"

Another voice, thick with a New York accent, brought Alex's attention to the balcony of a restaurant behind him. On the balcony stood another teenager, probably seventeen or eighteen years old. He had dark skin and short hair, and his face was set into a cocky grin. He held a smoking pistol in his hand.

"You alright down there, pal?"

Alex nodded his head.

"Good. Whatever happened to these 'people' obviously made 'em go off their rockers. So, what's your name?"

"A-Alex. Alex Lynch. How 'bout you?"

"Mark Fisher. Say, you're one of those other kids that got kidnapped, huh? I knew I wasn't the only one to start kicking."

"Yeah, I was kidnapped. I'm trying to find one of those things that kidnapped us; it helped me so I figure it might give me some answers."

"Whoa there chief, slow down. I'd be careful lookin' for one of those things. I had a run in with one earlier and they ain't exactly friendly, least of all conversational. In fact, I was trying to hide from it before I noticed you down there. If you're set on finding one of those things, be smart and take that shotgun behind you."

Alex raised an eyebrow. He was glad this kid saved his hide, but the way he was looking down on him, literally and figuratively, was getting annoying.

"I can take care of myself, ya know. I managed to come across something that should help me out if that thing gets violent." He flexed his wrist, and a stray bolt of electricity arced outward. "See?"

Mark responded by holding up his left hand, which was also coursing with electricity. "Yeah, nice trick. Too bad I know that doesn't do a whole lot either; buts you about a second to barely catch your breath, let alone escape."

Alex looked at his feet, and then picked up that shotgun from the floor. "Happy now?" He asked with a glare up at Mark.

"Hey man, I'm trying to help you not get yourself killed. So yeah, I'm pretty fucking happy you're gonna hold onto the shotgun."

"Ok, yeah, thanks. What do you think of coming down here so we can figure out just what the hell is going on together? Two is better than one after all."

Mark shrugged. "Why not?" He started to head into the restaurant when a shriek echoed from inside. "Fuck, it's come back." He held his hand out in front of him and a bolt streaked into the room, followed by another screech. "Ok, new plan", Mark shouted, turning to face Alex again, "I gotta book it, let's try and find each other later. Stay alive, alright bud?"

Alex nodded then watched as Mark ran down the balcony and disappeared around the other side. Before long, another one of the figures, this one with green armor, appeared from inside the restaurant. It noticed Alex, and then shrieked in his direction before taking off around the corner. Alex stood there for a few seconds before another shriek ripped through the air.

Alex's blood went cold when he looked up and saw the figure with blue armor standing atop the restaurant. He felt the figure's gaze fix on him, and he instinctively took a step back. The figure jumped from the roof and landed in front of Alex in an almost cat-like way. The figure straightened up and lifted a hand, frost forming and icicles bursting from the hand. Alex watched with a mixture of disgust and interest as the figure lurched its hand forward, a ball of frost shooting straight for him.

He was barely able to sidestep the frost, watching it hit the side of a building, coating it with ice. He turned towards the figure and shot out a burst of electricity. The figure ducked under it easily and ran in Alex's direction. Alex noticed a puddle between the figure and him, and decided to aim a bolt at it. The electricity reached the water at the same time as the figure, and the figure twitched as it was shocked.

Alex took the opportunity to take a few steps back and readied another bolt, but when he raised his hand he noticed the electricity had diminished. His hand looked normal, and his veins no longer glowed that bright fluorescent blue. "What the fuck?" He thought out loud, shaking his hand in hopes that would bring his new ability back. He gave up and refocused on the figure in time to see it's fist just before it connected with his face.

The force of the blow knocked him backwards and into a streetlight. He shook his head to clear his vision and tried to flex, but a crippling pain shot through his left shoulder; probably dislocated. Miraculously, though, he still had the shotgun in his right hand. He watched the figure start running towards him again, the large needling sliding out of its sheath.

'Wait for it…wait for it…now!'

Alex rolled to the side seconds before the figure tried to pounce on him. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Alex raised the shotgun and aimed at the figure's porthole. The figure gave what might have been a huff of annoyance, but Alex wasn't paying attention as he pulled the trigger.

His whole arm felt numb, but an open- mouthed grin spread across Alex's face when the figure went still. Then he remembered that the figure was his best chance for answers, and his grin faltered. 'Still', he thought, 'There was that Max Grey guy. If he went to the trouble of kidnapping us, then he must be willing to tell us why we're here.' The matter settled in his head, Alex turned and started off in a random direction, determined to get some answers from this Grey fellow.

_SCHINK_

Cold metal ripped through Alex's torso, and looking down revealed it as the figure's needle. The pain intensified as the needle was pulled from his chest, blood seeping down the front of his shirt. He turned to face the figure, but lacked the strength to do anything, and simply fell onto his back. For the fourth time that night, darkness crept into his vision and he felt himself lose his group on reality. The last thing he felt was the figure hoist him onto its shoulder before he blacked out.

…

The Big Sister hoisted the boy onto her shoulder, carefully minding the wound she'd put in his chest. She quickly leapt onto the roof of a restaurant, still agile despite her shattered porthole.

"_Nice job"_, Grey's voice spoke through her helmet radio, _"Now hurry and get back here so that Petrov can fix the kid up."_

The Big Sister nodded and started her journey to Fontaine Futuristics.

**Well, a happy new year to one and all, readers! Yep, I've got nothing better to do on new year's than sit in front of my computer and write, but hell, I figure it'll pay off someday.**

**Alright then, you know I really appreciate feedback on my stories, so feel free to leave a review with what you thought.**


	3. Transformation

Andrei Petrov paced back and forth in the little medical examination room. He was a short, stout man, with silver hair slicked back on his head. On the lab table next to him, the latest child to be brought in by a Big Sister laid unconscious. The boy was hooked up to several machines, one of them displaying his heart rate. Suddenly, Petrov snapped up an audio recorder and hit the "record" button.

"Dr. Andrei Petrov, examination of Subject Beta. Boy measures five feet seven inches and weighs one hundred and fifty three pounds .Physically, the boy appears to be healthy, although tests show his eyesight to be…less than satisfactory. I intend to splice him with the Keen Observer Gene Tonic to see if it can improve his eyesight. Suffered dislocation of the left shoulder and stab wound through lung; both appear to be caused by Big Sister. He is stable now; luckily I was able to treat the punctured lung before it was too late. The boy has already injected himself with the Electro Bolt plasmid, but his EVE level has run low. I plan to begin the implantation procedure soon."

Clicking the button again, Petrov set the device on a cabinet and exited the room. He walked down the hall to yet another examination room. If there was one thing setting up shop in the Fontaine Futuristics building had provided, it was certainly space. The next room he entered was occupied by a Big Sister, clad in her diving suit. Her helmet, however, rested next to her on the lab table, exposing her raven black hair and strangely soft features. Andrei briefly noted that if someone looked at just her face, her glowing yellow eyes would be the only thing to break her innocent look.

Picking up another recorder, Petrov started to pace back and forth again. He understood the need to record these sorts of things, logs for future reference to see what worked in experiments and what didn't, but that didn't make it any less of a pain.

"Dr. Andrei Petrov, examination of Big Sister of Subject Beta. Sister suffered little damage in bringing in the boy, as was expected. Slight electrocution, but nothing more. Only noticeable thing was the shattered helmet porthole. Subject Beta must have gotten a lucky shot in with a shotgun, but it didn't help him. Lamb must have spent a pretty penny in crafting the Big Sister suits, and it has certainly paid off. Sister should be fine to return to the streets of Rapture as soon as the helmet has been repaired."

Petrov set the recorder down and gave the Sister a nod, then turned on his heel and strolled out of the room. Grey had most of the offices converted into private quarters for the scientists, and Petrov made his way to his own for a few brief moments of respite. Sitting down at a chair, Petrov noticed yet another audio recorder sitting idly on his desk. Grey encouraged everyone to keep personal logs as a way of venting any frustrations or aggression.

"Personal log, Andrei Petrov; I'm growing somewhat concerned. In order to be able to control the Big Sisters, we had to undo a lot of their previous mental conditioning that bound them to Lamb. Of course they are still loyal to us, but they seem much more…free willed. When under Lamb's control, Big Sisters were almost as single minded as Big Daddies. Their entire purpose was the protection of Little Sisters, strictly by tracking down and slaughtering Splicers.

Now, they seem to be going about their missions differently. They are all forming different personalities and tactics. Where one Sister will wait in the shadows and strike their target without being scene, another will make their presence known long before they arrive, as if hoping to instill fear in their target. To say that they are slacking would be an absolute lie. In fact, their effectiveness seems to have doubled, but my concern remains. Worse, it seems as though they are developing rivalries among each other, competing for the respect of the other Sisters. This can be very dangerous, but Grey simply shrugs his shoulders and says it is better for the girls to be more individualistic. 'They aren't slaves to Lamb anymore' he says to me 'they deserve to have more freedom' but I remain unconvinced. I do not doubt Max, he has always steered us in the right direction, but I doubt the Sisters.

Interestingly, the Sisters' new found free will has encouraged them all to personalize their Plasmid arsenals. When they first came under our control they only had the Incinerate, Telekinesis and Teleport Plasmids, and we injected each of them with the Electro Bolt Plasmid. Now, I have seen several of them choose a personal Plasmid, corresponding with their personal battle tactics. This doesn't really concern me, but it is quite interesting to see how far their individual personalities stretch.

Perhaps the most interesting bit of news, though, is that the Big Sisters have started to speak to one another. This finding was brought to us by a loyalist out in the city. He said he actually saw and heard one of them speak to another after helping it kill a rather large Splicer. The Sisters have refused to speak to me, or any scientist, though. I'm not sure what to make if this finding, but Max encourages me to let it be for now. Sometimes I wish I had Max's confidence in the Sisters."

The recorder shut off with a _click_ and Petrov set it back down on his desk. He stood and started to leave his office. Sometimes he wondered if he had made the right decision coming to Rapture, but that train of thought always led him back to memories of the Soviet Union, and he shuddered slightly and convinced himself the choice was a good one.

…

Alex's eyes snapped open, and he found himself lying on a table in what looked like a doctor's room. He tried sitting up, but found that he was tied to the table. It was then that he noticed the wires sticking out of his wrists. He thought he might vomit again.

"Well, it looks like you've woken up."

The voice carried a thick Russian accent, and Alex found himself looking at short man with grey hair.

"W-who're you?"

"You may call me Dr. Petrov."

"Where am I?" Alex asked, struggled against his restraints again.

"Fontaine Futuristics; your new home."

"What are you talking about? Let me go!" Alex's eyes started darting around the room, looking for anything that could help. He refused to let this mad scientist make him some sort of wacked science experiment. He wouldn't wind up like one of those deformed freaks he'd seen.

"Child, there is no escape." Petrov's words were powerful, but not threatening, "It is time."

"Time? Time for what?" Alex continued to struggle against his restraints as Petrov brought a face mask towards him. Alex tried to move his face away from the mask, but it proved futile.

"You will not be hurt child; you'll just go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll be stronger than you ever imagined."

Alex's cries of resistance were muffled by the mask, and he felt himself growing drowsy. He desperately fought to keep himself awake, but eventually succumbed to his growing exhaustion.

…

Petrov wiped his forehead; the implantation had been successful. He looked at the scar on the boy's abdomen and smirked. He remembered Professor Tenenbaum's log talking about there being something keeping boys from implantation. He'd figured out what that was now; for some reason, the slugs seemed to resist males. This made the implantation difficult, but not impossible. The only thing left for this boy would be some mental conditioning, and then he would be ready for the suit.

"_DR. Petrov"_ Grey's voice spoke over the PA, _"Another kid's been brought in."_

Petrov wiped his hands clean, double checked the boy's restraints, then turned and left the room. The mental conditioning would have to wait.

…

The Big Sister picked her helmet up and looked at it again. Her face felt so strange without it on; exposed, vulnerable, but the shattered porthole made sure that she wouldn't be out in Rapture until it had been repaired. While she waited, the Sister would be restricted to wandering the halls of the Fontaine building. A voice came in over the PA system for a second time, but she ignored it.

Finally, she stood up and left the medical exam room. The halls of Fontaine Futuristics had been thoroughly cleaned when Grey had taken over, leaving the building the only place in Rapture that wasn't marred by bloodstains or littered with bodies. She wandered down the hall, eventually walking into another room. The same boy she had brought in before was lying on the table.

She stood there for a few minutes before the boy's eyes opened. The Sister gasped when she saw the boy's eyes. They glowed the same piercing yellow as any Sister, but they seemed different somehow. When the boy locked his eyes onto her she realized what he was feeling; fear, pure, unrestricted fear.

…

Alex tried to scream when he saw the thing that had almost killed him standing in the room. He thrashed against his restraints, and felt his restraints barely hold back. He failed to notice the thing's lack of helmet, or the seemingly harmless face of the teenage girl wearing the suit. The only thing he could think of was trying to find a way to escape. In a second the creature, the girl, was right by his bed. He was surprised to find that she didn't immediately stab him, and even more surprised when she started to rub his head in an almost reassuring way.

She made quiet shushing noises, her hand running through his hair softly. Slowly, Alex felt his heart slow down, and his instincts stopped screaming at him to get out and run. Finally, Alex got a good look at the girl; he was shocked by her face. Pale, snowy skin was framed by black hair, and the seemingly innocent features of her face clashed with the threatening outfit she was wearing. Alex briefly questioned if this actually was the figure that had kidnapped and almost killed him.

"_All scientists should stay in your personal quarters. All security volunteers, we need you to head to the front lobby. The rebels have gotten through the outer doors, and we need to fight 'em off at the lobby. Get ready to knock those bitzers out into the sea!"_

Alex recognized the voice: Max Grey. He remembered that he wanted to find Grey; to find a way home, but those thoughts seemed so far away now. Once the anesthesia had completely worn off, Alex felt a new feeling surge through his body. It was like something inside of him, something other, was filling him with a strange combination of power and hunger. Before he could give this feeling any further thought, the girl standing over him effortlessly tore both sets of restraints from the table, freeing his arms and legs.

Alex sat up and rubbed his eyes when he noticed something else; his glasses were gone. His eyes scanned the tables in the room, but he couldn't find them. It took Alex a few seconds to realize that, even though his eyewear was gone, he could still see perfectly fine. In fact, Alex felt better than ever before in just about every way. He felt a renewed sense of energy coursing through him. The only apparent downside was the gnawing sense of hunger. He felt unsatisfied somehow. Again he was interrupted from giving the feeling any thought when the girl gently took his hand and started leading him out of the room.

The pair made their way down the hall at a light jog. Alex didn't have any idea where he was being led, but he figured at this point fighting back would only get him killed. His sense of calm surprised him. This girl kidnapped and almost killed him, and yet now he was holding her hand as she led him to God knows where.

"_Code Red, All Big Sisters: we need you in the lobby of the building NOW! Those whackers brought more muscle than we thought."_

As soon as the voice had finished the girl let go of Alex's hand and started down the hallway in the opposite direction. "H-hey!" Alex called out, starting after her. "What about me?" He ran after her, ignoring the fact that he was able to keep up with her even though she'd easily outran him the last time he saw her. The two ran through the Fontaine building at breakneck speed until they passed through a door and found themselves on top of a balcony overlooking the lobby of the building.

On the floor of the room, men and women fired at each other with pistols, Tommy guns and shotguns, while on the balcony, more men and women pounded the ground floor with blasts of fire and electricity. There was a brief flash of light, and the girl next to Alex vanished, only to appear on the ground floor. In a fluid motion, she extended one arm, freezing a man with a shotgun solid, and used the other, the one with her large needle, to impale a woman in the back. A woman with a length of pipe reacted quickly, swinging at the back of the girls head. Before the pipe could connect, the woman was blasted with a bolt of lightning. The girl looked towards the source and saw that Alex had his arm outstretched; sparks flew from his hand, and unbeknownst to him, his eyes were glowing a blood red.

Acting on impulse, Alex leapt over the balcony's railing. He landed on a man's head, using his feet to force the man's face into the floor. There was a sickening _crunch_ as the man's skull cracked. Without missing a beat, Alex snatched up the Tommy gun the man was using and opened fire. Bodies fell limp as Alex shifted his aim from target to target. Soon the fire was returned, and Alex dashed forward to take cover behind the large globe in the center of the room. Alex peeked out and fired a few more rounds before the gun clicked; out of bullets.

With a frown, Alex tossed the gun aside, flexing his wrist and letting the electricity spark from his palm. In the span of a few seconds, half a dozen men and women were struck by lightning, falling backwards as they twitched and spasmed. From the corner of his eye, Alex saw another person suddenly erupt into flames. In a flash, another girl, this one in a complete suit, and with green color detailing, jumped down from the roof, stabbing a woman through the top of the neck as she dropped from the ceiling. The girl flicked her wrist, and honeycombs formed up and down her arm. In a second she aimed her arm outward, and an army of bees swarmed towards the nearest man.

Taking note of the way the girl adjusted her wrist position, Alex tried to mimic the action, hoping to discover he'd been given the same power. Instead, his hand became surrounded by some form of slight distortion. "Take this, ya little brat." Alex ducked out of the way just as a large wrench slammed against where his head had been. Acting on instinct, Alex lurched out with his wrist. The result wasn't a bolt of lightning, but rather the wrench was ripped form the man's hand. Guided by an unknown instinct, Alex lurched out his hand again. The wrench flew forward, colliding with the man's distorted face before he could duck. Intrigued by this newly discovered power, Alex turned and aimed his open palm at a man firing with a shotgun. The gun was tugged free from the man's hands and flew in Alex's direction. Catching the gun midair, Alex pumped the slide and put a load of buckshot into the man he'd relieved the weapon from.

The cycle continued like that for a few minutes; every time Alex ran out of ammo, he disregarded the weapon lifted a new one from a potential threat. More of those girls in suits had also joined the fight, too. Alex found that he had to dodge the occasional blast of fire or electricity that was lobbed a little too close for comfort. Eventually what remained of the invaders fell back out of the lobby. A few men and women chased after them, returning a few minutes later with news that "the bloody cowards took the train outta here."

Alex lowered the pistol in his grip, but didn't have much time to relax as the girl with the green suit appeared in front of him. She seemed to look him over, and even though she was wearing her helmet, Alex could feel her critical gaze. A hand planted itself firmly on his shoulder, and Alex looked backward to see the girl who'd freed him from the hospital bed. She glared daggers at the girl in the green suit before leading Alex away. For the first time since he'd almost been left in the hallway, Alex found his voice. "What was that all about?" The girl remained silent, so Alex repeated his question. Again there was silence, and Alex almost gave up when the girl finally spoke up.

"Sister and I…don't always get along."

'Sister?' Alex thought to himself. "So, you're sisters? Are you all sisters?"

The girl nodded her head. "Mother Lamb told us that we didn't come from the same mom and daddy, we were all sisters. Then Mother Lamb left and Uncle Grey took care of us. After that, Sister and I started arguing more and more."

Alex spent a good few seconds thinking about the way the two girls stared each other down. It was almost like they were arguing over him. "You keep referring to her as just 'Sister'. Don't you, uh, have names or anything?"

The girl stopped now, turning to stare at Alex fiercely. Alex could feel her piercing yellow eyes search his. Minutes ticked by on the clock while the two stared at each other, then the girl turned and kept walking, grabbing Alex's wrist and leading him along. "H-hey, you didn't answer my question!" Alex shouted, trying to plant his feet to the ground.

"You talk too much." Was all the girl said in response. Alex sighed and simply followed the girl until she led him into a large room. The room looked like it had once been a board room for business meetings, but where the table would've been was instead empty, save a drastically water-damaged carpet that was covered with…toys? Curious, Alex pried his hand free from the girl's and walked further into the room.

He had no sooner picked up one of the toys, a doll made to look like one of the girls in suits, then a little girl had rushed out form hiding and wrapped her arms around his legs with an iron grip. "Wow!" She cried out, looking up at him with wide, yellow eyes. "Is he one of our new Big Brothers?" Alex looked over at the girl who'd led him here. "Big Brother?"

The girl only nodded and knelt down next to the little girl, patting her head. "Yes." She said in a soft voice. "He's one of your new Big Brothers."

The little girl squealed in joy. "He looks so strong and brave, like a super hero. Big Sister Sarah, is he as strong as he looks?" The Big Sister looked from the girl to Alex, then back. "Yes, little one, he is very strong." The girl squealed again. "I knew it I knew it I knew it." She started bouncing up and down in place.

"And so the Big Brother meets the Little Sister." A voice, thick with an Australian accent, cut into the conversation. Alex turned his head and saw Max Grey standing at the entrance to the room. Grey obviously picked up on the boy's attention. "G'day, mate. I see you're gettin acquainted with your Big Sis, and one of your Little Sisters." Alex opened his mouth, but words suddenly failed him. He looked to Sarah, only to find the girl had straightened up, her posture rigid. Grey smirked slightly. "Hm, strong and silent like the rest of 'em, eh? Can't blame you for that; you don't have to say a word to me if you don't wanna, but there's a few things I need to speak with ya about, if you don't mind."

Grey turned and started out of the doorway, gesturing for Alex to follow. Silently, Alex managed to free his leg from the Little Sister and followed after Grey. He expected Sarah to come with them, but the girl remained rooted in place.

**I greatly apologize for the wait for this chapter. School's been more hectic than normal, and with finals approaching I assume there might be another wait for chapters ahead, so I've been putting in the extra effort to get this out there for you.**

**On a slightly related note, I've been considering expanding the length of the chapters. Would you, my readers, like that, or are you feeling comfortable with the length each chapter now? Feel free to let me know; my decisions are greatly affected by how you all feel it would affect the general reception of the story.**


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